Switch



NOV. 13, 1945. s,l NUNES v 2,38975 SWITCH Filed Dec. 17, 1941 3 Sheecs-Sheet 2 WL?, Q @2710 INVENTOR j cz ATTORNEYS J. s. NUNES Z SWITCH Filed Dec. 17, 1941 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 ff 45 Ji Patented Nov. 13, 1945 SWITCH John S. Nunes, New York, N. Y., assigner to Elizabeth Lefkowitz, doing business as Fulton Electric Mfg. Co., New York, N. Y.

Application December 17, 1941, Serial No. 423,285

(Cl. 20G-64) 8 Claims.

The present invention relates to electric switches of the hand-operated type, and in particular to switches of the pull-chain type, although the invention is not limited thereto.

This application is a continuation-impart of my copending application, Serial No. 373,393, filed January '7, 1941, now Patent No. 2,350,966 issued June 6, 1944.

It is the general object of the invention to provide an electric switch of inexpensive, compact and durable construction requiring few parts and capable of easy assembly, and which can be readily adapted for use for the control either of single or of multi-circuit installations in homes, stores, industrial establishments, etc.

More particularly, it is an object of the invention to provide a switch of the type indicated which can be readily adapted for the control of additional circuits by the coupling therewith of compact switch units of similar construction.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a switch mechanism having a mounting member upon which can be attached, upon both sides thereof, switch units of the same or of diiierent type and upon which additional units may be mounted in coaxial relation for the control of additional circuits, and all operated by one and the same actuating mechanism.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an improved switch of the rotary type having a plurality of bridging contact-carrying discs mounted upon a common shaft, and particularly a switch of this kind wherein one or more of the discs oscillate through a more or less xed angle to effect closing and opening of a circuit during a single actuation of the switch, whereby the time during which any particular circuit or circuits remain closed (or open) may be manually controlled, while other circuits connected to the switch are controlled in the usual fashion, that is, are closed and opened only on successive actuations f the switch.

One form of apparatus for which switches of' the just mentioned construction are particularly suited is the now well-known fluorescent lamp. In the control of fluorescent lamps, it is now the general practice to provide such lamps with a thermally controlled starter which, upon closing of the lamp switch, controls the pre-heating of the lamp and which, after a more or less fixed time interval, automatically breaks the starting circuit and leaves the lamp to be operated by the operating circuit which includes the column of heated or ionized gas between the electrodes inside the lamp. This thermostatically operated starter or switch has proved to be rather unreliable and hence unsatisfactory in operation because of flickering of the lamp apparently caused by insufficient pre-heating of the gas, so that frequently the switch must be closed a second and even a third time before steady operation of the lamp is obtained. Also, frequent replacement of the starter is usually necessary.

It is accordingly a further object of the invention to provide a switch of the manually-operated type which is adapted to include, as one of the switch units thereof, a hand controlled switch assembly acting to replace the automatic starter heretofore employed with iluorescent lamps and similar apparatus, and through which sufficient pre-heating of the gas in the lamps (or other preliminary regulation of other apparatus) may be insured by the operator before the starting circuit is broken.

Another object of the invention is to provide a switch mechanism manually controlled to time the operation of any circuit without requiring the frequent replacement common in known thermal switches, and at the same time eliminating the special ceramic support for such known switches.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a switch mechanism composed of a plurality of more or less separate switch units, each with its own housing or housing section, which are capable of standardization and of being quickly assembled in numerous combinations to control a great variety of circuits singly and in combination, whereby a minimum of parts and assembled switches need be kept on hand by the manufacturer for prompt lling of orders calling for many different combinations of multi-circuit control.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a multiple switch of the type just described which is built up of at least one unit in which the contacts are both made and broken during each complete oscillation of the shaft or, in general, upon each actuation and release of the manual member, and of a plurality of units wherein the contacts are made and broken successively only upon successive actuaticns of the manual member, thereby yielding double pole and higher pole switches for dividing a heavy load.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an arrangement of contacts in a multi-unit switch of the type set forth wherein the contacts which are made and bro-ken during each actuation of the manual member, and which may therefore serve for controlling the starting circuit of a fluorescent lamp, are closed shortly berality of circuits in such manner that the cost of lwiring is considerably reduced; to provide aV switch composed of individual units capable of' being assembled into a composite switch capableV of controlling two or more electrically operated devices connected in any desired circuit, as in the form of two-way, three-way, and four-way switches, single pole, multi-pole, etc., and in various combinations; to provide a timing switch which can be used equally Well in A. C. and D. .C.

circuits in contrast to the thermal switch which is suitable forfA. C. operation only; and to provide an improved form of rotary bridge member which insures against accidental breaking of circuits.

Still other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description and the features of novelty will be set forth in the appended claims,

The invention will be described in greater detail with the aid of the accompanying drawings, which illustrate by Way of example a satisfactory embodiment of the invention, and wherein Fig. 1 is an elevational view taken along the line I i of Fig. 2, and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 2 represents a central vertical section along the line 2 2 of Fig. l;

Figs. 3 and 4 are Views taken respectively along the lines 3 3 and 4 6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 shows a horizontal section through the switch and is taken along the line 5 5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a detail showing one form of toothed disc carrying the bridging member and the insulating plate to which it is secured;

Fig. 7 shows the reverse side of the insulating plate and the driving ratchet disc secured thereto;

Fig; 8 is a view of the driving pawl;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged view in perspective of the mounting member constructed in accordance Iwith the invention:

Fig. 10 isa view of another embodiment of my invention showing the manner in vwhich a plurality of similar units may e built up on the mounting member for-the control of additional circuits, the switch -being designed for the control of two timed circuits or groups of circuits and of one group of non-timed circuits;

Fig. 11 is a View of still another form of my invention, and is a view taken along the line l 1 8 i housing sections 20 and 2l are secured upon opposite sides of a mounting member 22, which.

may be made of metal, such member being shown in detail in Fig. 9. This mounting member has a main portion of more or less U-shape composed of the central plate 22a. and the legs 22h. Extending in opposite directions from the legs 2217 are pairs of ears 23, 24 which are provided with threaded openings 25 for a purpose shortly to be described. A bearing plate 26 extends from the main plate 22a, more or less inthe same plane as a pair of opposite ears 23, 24, and is apertured as shown at 21 for the reception of the driving shaft 30. A threaded nipple 28 is secured to theplate 22a, the latter having an opening registering with the hollow interior of the nipple..

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the housing sections 20 and 2l are secured to the mounting member 22 by way of screws 29 which pass through suitable bores in the housing sections and are received within the threaded openings 25. There is thus provided a compact and neat construction in which either of the housings and its associated mechanism, described below, can be removed and either such mechanism, or both the housing and the mechanism replaced with a unit having different switch charactere.; istics.

of Fig. 12, the same being built up of similar units for the control of ordinary, non-timed circuits; Fig. l12 represents a section along the plane represented by line lf2-i2 of Fig. 11; while Figs. 13, 14 and 15 show details of the bridging and driving members.

Figs. 16 to 18 show modiiications.

Referring to the embodiment of the invention. shown in Figs. 1 to 8, which is designed more particularly for the control of the circuits of a fluorescent lamp, referred to hereinabove, al-

The driving shaft 30 is mounted for oscillating movement within the central openings in the housing members 20 and 2i and passes through the opening 27 of the bearing plate 26. As can Y be seen best from Figs. 2 and 5, the housing memlimited arc, and in the form of the invention illustrated in these iigures, the contact mechanism located in the chamber`32 is so constructed and arranged that during one complete oscillation of the shaft; the circuits controlled by the contacts in such chamber are both made and broken; while the contacts arranged in the chamber 3l are so disposed and operated that successive complete oscillations are required Yto effect closing and opening of the circuits in alternation.

The housing section 2| (Fig. 1) is provided on its outer face with two pairs of more or less radial slots 33 running from the periphery of the housing inwardly to communicate with .the chamber 3 2, the slots being arranged at 90 intervals, as illustrated. The slots are designed to receive the conductors 34, 343i and 35, 35 which are introduced thereinto from the right as viewed in Fig. 2. To the opposite pairs of conductors (M, 34 and 35, 35, there are soldered or otherwise secured, the spring contacts 34a, 34a and 35a, 35a. The spring contacts may be Ymade of phosphor bronze or any other resilient material and are generally of Z-shape, one end being anchored Within lateral recesses 36Y communicating with the slots 33. The free ends 35a of the spring contacts project into the chamber 32.

The shaft 30 is of non-circular cross-section, preferably square, except for the portion journalled in the housing section 253, which may be round. Mounted upon the shaft and within the chamber 32 is a bridging member which includes a disc rmember 31 made of suitable insulating material, such as porcelain, glass,V resin, or fiber board. The bridging member is provided with a "non-circular opening so as to lit snugly over the end of the shaft and rotate therewith. It is providecluponits peripheral surfaces with four arcuate sections eccentric with respect to the center of the shaft, thereby forming'four cam surfaces or teeth, there being more or less radially extending shoulders 38 between the successive cam surfaces. As can be seen from Fig. 1, the disc 31 and the spring contacts 36 are so disposed that-the free ends of the latter ride smoothly over the cam surfaces as the member 31 is oscillated in the clockwise direction and then returned.

The bridge member 31 carries two identical bridging conductors 39 and 40 which are securely mounted thereon, each being composed of an an-v nular section 4I whose central opening clears the shaft 3U:l The conductors are provided with diagonally opposite terminal portions 42 overlying the peripheral cam surfaces of the bridge member 31 and extending in opposite directions. It will be understood that the member 39 is mounted upon one side of the member 31 while the member 40 is positioned upon the opposite side of each member, the terminals on the members 39 and 40 being displaced by 90. As shown in Fig. 1, the oscillating terminals 42 project beyond the shoulders 38 and overlie to a certain extent the adjacent cam surface.' This projection insures maintenance of contact with the terminals 36a even in the case of excessive rotation of the shaft and also prevents accidental dropping of any terminal onto the next cam surface or tooth. The terminals 42 cover only about one-half the peripheral length of each of such cam surfaces, the latter being suitably recessed to receive such terminals and to provide a smooth juncture between the terminalcovered portions of the cam surfaces and the uncovered, non-conducting portionsy of such surfaces.

The conductors 34, 34 and 35, 35 are connected to the heating electrodes of different fluorescent lamps and it will be seen that upon rotation of the shaft 30 through an angle of about 60 to 90, the opposite pairs of terminals 36a.will be bridged by the respective members 39 and 40, whereby the circuits to the heating coils of the respective lamps will be closed, and such circuits will remain closed so long as the shaft is held in its extreme position of movement. When the lamp has begun to burn steadily, manual release of the switch will cause return of the shaft to the inoperative position shown in Fig. 1 (by a mechanism about to be described), whereby the starting circuits will be broken. The lamps will then be operated by the circuits controlled by the switch mechanism within the housing 20.

Mounted upon the shaft 30 adjacent to the journaled end 30a is a bridging member composed of an insulating plate 43 having upon one side thereof a driving ratchet wheel 44, whose function will be described below, and upon the opposite side a toothed wheel 45 made of any suitable insulating material. The element 44 and 45 are secured to the disc 43 in any suitable manner, as by means of tongues 46 struck from the body of the ratchet wheel 44 and passing through suitable openings in the disc 43 and into the openings 41 in the wheel 45. These parts are all provided with a circular central opening so that they are free to rotate upon and relatively to the shaft 30.

The toothed wheel 45 is provided with cam teeth 48. A conducting metallic bridge 49 is secured to the outer face of the wheel 45 and is provided with diametrically opposite contact surfaces 50 which are bent over to cover a pair of opposite teeth, the `other pair of teeth being uncovered and thus presenting an insulating surface. As can be seen from Fig. 2, the wheel 45 is located within the chamber 3l of the housing 20. An annular insulating washer 5l is located between the housing 20 and the opposite ears 23, 24 of the mounting member 22, and in the illustrated construction the insulated disc 43 is in substantial alignment with the washer 5l with only a slight clearance therebetween, so that the switch mechanism of which the bridge member 49 forms a part is effectively closed against and insulated from the driving mechanism described herein-- after.

The housing 2n is provided upon its raised annular surface with two pairs of oppositely disposed slots 52 (Fig. 4), similar in construction and arrangement to the slots 33 shown in Fig. 1. The slots are adapted to receive conductors 53' which are connected to spring terminals 54. While only one pair of conductors 53 is shown in Fig. 4, it will be obvious that a second circuit can be controlled by a second pair of conductors located within the other pair of slots 52, except that the two circuits will be controlled in alternation; that is, when one is closed the other will be open. It will be seen that the washer 5l serves to close the slots 52 and .thereby retain the conductors in place and at the same time insulate the metal contacts against the metal mounting member 22. The slots 33 of the housing 2l are similarly closed by an insulating plate 55.

The ratchet wheel 44 constitutes part of the actuating mechanism for the switch and is arranged to be operated by an oscillating member 51 which is actuated by a pull-chain 56 of conventional construction. To this end, the oscillating member 51 is provided with diametrically opposite dogs or pawls 58 which engage within openings 59 spaced 90 apart in the ratchet wheel 44. The member 51 is provided with a noncircular central opening 60 so as to be locked lto and thereby rotate with the shaft 30; in other words, the pawl member oscillates through a more or less fixed angle with the shaft. In the position of rest, the pawls 58 are located within a pair of opposed openings 59; and upon actuation of the pull-chain, the pawls engage the forward wall of each recess and rotate the ratchet wheel 44 and parts 43 and 45 connected thereto through an angle of The oscillating member 51 is provided with a flange 6l which extends first axially to provide a supporting surface for the pull-chain 56 and then extends radially so as to retain the chain between itself and the ratchet wheel 44. The rear-end pontion of .the ange is provided with a hook member 62 having an open slot 63 which serves for anchoring the chain, the ball at the end of the chain being positioned to rest against the shoulder 64 of the hook member 62, the connecting flexible wire of the chain passing through the slot 63, and the chain then being passed over the member 51 and within the flange 6l. Any other suitable mode of mounting can of course be employed. The flange is interrupted as indicated at 65 .to facilitate formation of the pawl 58.

A return spring 66 surrounds the shaft 30 and is connected at one end to a lug 61 struck from the body of the bearing plate 26 of the mounting member 22 (Fig. 9), while its other end is connected to the V-shaped groove formed between one of the pawls 58 and an oppositely bent tongue 68 on the member 51. If it is desired to vary the tension of the spring, its other end may beconnected to the lug 69 on the bearing' plate 26.

The radius of the outer portion of the hook member 62 is greater than the distance between the center of the shaft and the edges (Fig. 3) of the legs 22h of the mounted member. The hook member accordingly cooperates with the' edges 10 Vto limit the movement of the shaft in both directions. The .length of the legs 22h is so determined that the shaft is given a total angular movement of somewhat more than 90, .the excess over 90 being the free play of the switch. The switch is shown in Fig. 3 in its unactuated condition in which the hook member 62 bears'against edge 10 of the lower leg 22h. The parts ,may be assembled in the following manner:V The shaft is passed through `the aperture of the bearing plate 26 of the Vmounting member 22 and through the central opening of the housing 2i, and the toothed wheel 31 is then positioned upon the free end of the shaft. After placing the` cover plate 55 upon the outer face of the housing 2|, the latter is secured to the opposite ears 23 and 24 of the mounting member by means of thescrews 29. These parts are now rmly connected with each other and the partial assembly can be easily handled without danger and one end thereof is engaged with the lug 61 or 69. The oscillating member 51 with the pullchain anchored thereon is now slid upon the shaft in such angular position that the hook member 62 is located externally of the edges 10. Upon engaging the free end of the springA 66 within the V-shaped recess between the tongue 58 and the adjacent pawl 58, the member 51` will be urged by the spring into the position shown in Fig. 3. It will be understood that the pull-chain has been passed through the hollow nipple 28. The assembly composed of the disc 43, ratchet wheel 44 and toothed wheel 45 is now positioned upon the shaft, and the washer 5| is arranged with its apertures in alignment with those in the adjacent ears 23 and 24. The housing 20 is now mounted upon the reduced free end 30a of the shaft, and upon insertion and tightening of the screws 29, the whole mechanism is united into a rigid and compact assembly'. It `will be understood that the conductors and 53 are properly positioned within their respective housings 2| and 20 prior to assembly of the switch, and that the wheels 31 and 45 are properly positioned.V with reference to the cooperating contacts to provide the desired sequence of circuit 'closing and opening. The switch can be mounted in any suitable manner and may, for example, be secured, to a support 1i vwhich is clamped between a threaded washer 12 and a nut 13, the latter havingV a trumpet-shaped central opening through which the chain passes.

The operation of the above described mechanism is as :follows:

As has already been indicated, the oscillating actuating member 51 is, in effect, locked to and rigid with the shaft 30 and the same is true of the toothed wheel 31. The bridging assembly within the housing 20, however, composed of the parts 43, 44, and 49, is free to rotate upon the shaft. Upon actuation of the pull-chain, therefore, the mechanisms within the housings 2l and 20 will rotate with the shaft, the ratchet wheel 44 being driven by the pawls 58 of the ymember 51. During this movement, thejfree ends v36a of the `cont-acty members within the housing v2l will ride upon the surfaces of the teeth until they engageV the conducting members 42. This will close the circuits in which the Contact members are connected. Where these circuits are connected, for example, to iiuorescent lamps, the operator will hold the chain in its extreme position of movement until the lamps have begun to burn without ickering. He will thereupon release the pull-chain and the parts will be brought by the spring 6B into the position shown in Figs. 1 and 3. During this return movement, the toothed wheel 31 is returned with the shaft to its original position in which contact members 36a engage the insulating surfaces of the wheel. The auxiliary or starting circuits for the lamps are now broken, the making and breaking ofA these circuits thus occurring during a single actuation of the chain. The disc 43, however, does not return with the shaft but remains in its shifted position, the pawls 58 riding out of the openings 59 and passing in reverse direction into the next pair of diametrically disposed openings 59. The friction between the disc 43 and the shaft, coupled with the friction between the contacts 54 and the wheel 45 is sufficient to prevent rearward slipping of the disc 43 as the pawls 58 pass over the ratchet wheel 44 to their original position. Where necessary, a holding pawl or a friction element may be provided to insure against return of the wheel 43 although I have found in certain commercial devices constructed by me that this is not necessary. It will thus be seen that the disc 43 and the parts attached thereto will be rotated stepwise in the same direction upon repeated actuai tion of the chain 56. When, therefore, the starting circuits of the fluorescent lamps are broken upon release of the chain 56, the .contacts 54 remain in engagement with the contact surfaces 50 of the bridge member 49, so that the main voperating circuits for the lamps remain closed. Upon the next actuation of the chain, these operating circuitsV will be broken, as will be readily understood.

` It will be seen from the foregoing that according to the' present invention there is provided an extremely compact switch construction in which the actuating mechanism is positioned within a mounting member which at the same time provides the stops (edges 10) for limiting the movement of the actuating mechanism in opposite directions, and is constructed for connection in a convenient manner with separate switch housings whose switch mechanisms may each comprise a plurality of circuits which are opened and closed according to different plans. The parts are few in number and can be easily manufactured by stamping or molding. The different switch mechanisms are completely insulated from each other and from the actuating device so that the danger of short circuiting is eliminated.

VThe mounting member 22 itself serves also as an effective cover for the actuating mechanism housed within it, as it subtends more than of the periphery of the switch. The exposed portion ofthe central section of the switch may be closed by means of a sheet metal plate 14 provided with curved ends which t about the stems of the screws 29. The plate is placed in position during the assembly of the switch prior to the insertion of the screws through the housingV 2l and is held in position with the aid of its hooked end portions 15.

The housings are preferably provided with flat faces 16 for convenience in mounting. The metallic cover plate14 may be provided with a wid-` ened central portion 'Il `(Fig. 5) which engages and overlaps the rear surfaces 16.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Fig. 10, parts similar to those heretofore described are similarly numbered. The construction shown in this figure is, in fact, identical with that shown in Fig. 2, except that the shaft 30 has been extended through the cover plate 55 in order to receive a second toothed wheel 3l which is housed in a second housing 2|. The arrangement of the contacts and their sequence of operation in this construction may be the same as or different from those described in connection with Figs. 1 to 8. Fig. 10 illustrates the ease with which the switch construction of the present invention lends itself to the addition of further switch units of more or less standardized construction for the operation of additional circuits of the same or different characteristics from those controlled by the switch mechanisms within the housings immediately attached to the mounting member 22. It will be noted that all these switch mechanisms are actuated from one and the same operating device housed within the mounting member 22. It is believed that the construction and operation of the mechanism shown in Fig. will be obvious from the detailed description hereinabove.

Figs. 11 to 15 illustrate a construction in which allthe bridging members move step by step in the same direction upon operation of the actuating mechanism. The structure in effect involves the use of a disc 43 and associated parts as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 with the difference that the central aperture of the disc is non-circular so that the disc is locked to the shaftand rotates therewith. The actuating mechanism, on the other hand, and particularly the member 51a which carries'the pawls 58 is free to move relatively to the shaft and to this end is provided with a circular central opening a in contrastto the non-circular opening of the member illustrated in Fig. 8. The operation of this form of invention will be clear from the foregoing, it being plain that the member 51a oscillates within a limited angle of movement while the shaft and the disc 43 mounted thereon move progressively in the same direction so that the connection between the contacts 54 is closed through the bridge member 49 during one actuation of the switch, and becomes broken on the next actuation thereof.

It will be apparent that any convenient number of housings 20 or'2l may be assembled upon a single mounting member 22 with the aid of screws 29 of appropriate length, and that any type of circuits can be controlled by the switch. Thus the various circuit combinations described in the patent to Popp, No. 2,158,084 and likewise other combinations, can be incorporated in the mechanism described hereinabove. The mechanism above described is equally well adapted for Ause in 2-way, 3-way, and 4-Way switches. Any standard type of switch can be associated with the manually controlled time switch above described, as will be evident to those skilled in the art. Also it is not essential that the Various discs or toothed wheels be arranged with their teeth in phase; on the contrary, one disc can be advancedwith respect to the other or others, and the discs may have diiferent numbers of\ teeth cooperating with different numbers of terminals within the separate individual housings or within a common housing.

manner of transmitting movement from the driven ratchet wheel 44 and toothed wheel 45 and the disc 43 upon which they are mounted to a second wheel 45 which likewise is rotated intermittently. It will be recalled that in the construction of Fig. 2 the disc 43 is loosely mounted on the shaft 30 and thus cannot transmit movement to a second such disc or a wheel 45 by way of the shaft. A simple Way of transmitting such movement, while yet permitting the use of standardized and similar housing sections 20, is shown in Figs. 16 and 17 bythe use of a split non-circular shaft whose parts are shown at 'i8 and 19. Upon the portion 'I9 are mounted the oscillating discs 3l which are provided with non-circular openings so as to `be keyed to such shaft section and rotate therewith. The shaft 18 similarly receives a plurality of wheels 45 which are associated with the circuits which are successively made and broken upon successive actuations of the operating means. The shaft section 18 is provided with a reduced stub end of circular cross-section which is received within a corresponding recess within the abutting end 'I9 so that the two sections can rotate relatively to each other.

The oscillating driving member 5l is provided with a noncircular central opening and is mounted upon the shaft section 19, so that the latter oscillates with such member. It will be clear from Figs. 16 and 17 that although the shaft 79 oscillates during each actuation and release of the member 5l, the disc 43 carrying the ratchet wheel, which is similar to the wheel 44 shown in Fig. 14, is rotated stepwise in the same direction and this movement is transmitted to the second and any additional wheels 45 mounted upon the shaft sectionv i8 and upon any continuation thereof. The end ofthe section '.'S is provided with the'oylindrical stub end 30a by which the shaft is journalled in the end section housing 2U.

Fig. 18 shows a modified form of mounting member 22 which is incorporated in the structure of Fig. 16. Parts of this mounting member similar to those of Fig. 9 are correspondingly numbered, the differences over Fig. 9 residing in the following: The nipple 28, instead of being located more or less upon the horizontal central line of the central plate 22a, is loc-ated with its longitudinal axis above such central line. This arrangement enables the chain 56 to approach the retaining flange 5l (see Figs. 3 and 8) more nearly along a tangent and eliminates the curvature of the chain '56 between the nipple and such flange, as shown in Fig. 3. A further diiference over Fig. 9 is represented by the position and shape of the bearing plate 8l, which extends more or less diagonally and is provided with an opening 2l for the shaft, such opening having an extended bearing surface. The free end of the plate 8l is of more or less circular outline, as illustrated, and is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced tongues or lugs 82 which are bent away from the plane of the plate to provide a plurality of anchoring means for the spring 56 in order selectively to adjust the tension of the latter.

While the actuating mechanism has been illustrated by way of example as being constituted of a pull-chain mechanism, it is obvious that other known devices for oscillating or continuously rotating the shaft can be used; thus, a hand operated knob could be mounted upon an extended end of the shaft, or a push-button could be employed with an off-center pawl, which reciprocates under the action of the finger of the operatorY and of a return springend which engages a ratchetV wheel associated with the shaft.

As already indicated, the edges 10 of vthe mounting member 22 may serve as stops for limiting the angular movement of the actuating pawl member. Y To this end the legs of the mounting member are made of such length with reference to theaxis of the shaft passing through the member that the angular movement of the pawl member is limited to 90 plus a certain angle of play, which may be 30 or thereabouts.

It will also be clear that the shaft itself may veither be arranged foroscillation or for stepwise rotation continuously in the same direction. The different bridge members will of course be so mounted on the shaft that the desired type or Ysequence of connection and disconnection is secured., Thus, where the shaft rotates stepwise in the YSame direction and the device is to include a manually controlled time switch, the toothed wheel for such time switch could .be secured to the operating vpawl and both such parts mounted to move freely on the shaft, that is, rotate relatively thereto, the spring acting to return these parts to their initial position after actuation thereof.

It is desirable in connection with an apparatus operating similarly to fluorescent lamps to have the starting circuit closed before the holding or main circuit. This is accomplished by the present invention by making the insulated surfaces upon the teeth of the disc 31 of smaller angular extent than on the teeth on the wheel 45; thereby contact through the bridge member 4| is established before it is made through the bridge member 49. It will be clear from the foregoing, that the overhang portions 42 on the disc 3T (see Fig. 1)A assure against accidental sliding off of a terminal 36a from its associated tooth or disc segment. This object can be additionally insured by reducing the diameter of the shaft upon which the discs 31 are mounted, say by tenthousandths of an inch, so as to create a certain amount of play between such shaft and discs and thereby the amplitude of oscillation of the discs correspondingly reduced.

It will b'e obvious that where my time switch is inserted within the short-circuiting line connecting the electrodes of a iiuorescent lamp, such switch can be held closed until sputtering has ceased and the lamp is able to continue on its operating circuit upon opening of the short-circuiting switch. The illustrated mechanism can be easily adapted for the control of multiple iilament bulbs, a plurality of motors or a plurality of windings on the same motor, and in various other circuit 'combinations The switch can be so mounted as to be completely concealed except for the nipple through which the pull-chain, or any other selected operating mechanism, passes.

It will be evident, finally, that by the use of the individual housing sections and the selection of suitable bridge members, various combinations Vof multiple switches operated from a single actuating means can readily be assembled with a relatively few standardized parts. Thus the same housings can b'e employed with bridge members whose contacts are connected in different ways; and also with bridge members which are mounted for continuous rotation in the same direction or for oscillation. As the assembly of the parts is both simple and rapid, the switch parts can be kept in stock in knocked-down condition and orders for any particular type of switch combinations can be quickly filled.

Various parts'of the invention'above described may beused without( others without'departing from :the spirit or scope of the invention as defined inthe appended claims. Thus my novel mount'- ing member can'be associated only with, switch mechanisms operating in the conventional way, that is, with connection and disconnection `only upon successive actuations of the switch; also', while the use of separate housing sections is desirable, the switch terminals and the bridgemem'- bers may all be positioned within a common house ing' ,Y

Iclaim:

1. An electric switch V'comprising a housing' a shaft rotatably mounted in the housing,l manual means for effecting oscillation of the shaft, two bridge members mounted upon the shaft, stationary contacts insulatedly supported'in the housing and arranged to be engaged bythe bridge members, one of said bridge members being fixed to and rotatable with the shaft and acting to close a pair of contacts upon actuation'of the manual means, a spring for 'returning the manual means to normal position and thereby rcause opening of said contacts, the other bridge 'member being rotatable relatively to the shaft, and means for effecting step-wise rotation of the second bridge member in the same direction' upon repeated oscillation of the shaft.

2. An electric switch comprising an intermediate mounting member, housing sections of insulating material secured to said mounting member at both sides thereof, a shaft passing through the mounting member and extending into the'interior of the housing sections, stationary contacts positioned in and supported upon the housing sections, bridge members located on the shaft and within the respective housings and movable into engagement with the stationary contact members, and means for actuating the switch.

3. An electric switch as set forth in claim 2, wherein the actuating means effects oscillation ofthe shaft, one of the bridge membersbeing locked to the shaft to oscillate therewith, another bridge member being loose on the shaft, and mechanism operated by the actuating means for rotating the last mentioned bridge member stepwise in one direction upon repeated oscillation of the shaft.

4. An electric switch comprising an intermediate mounting member,- a plurality of similarly shaped, centrally hollow housing members of insulating material secured upon opposite sides of the mounting member, a rotatably mounted shaft passing through the mounting member and extending into the interiors of the housing sections, stationary contacts arranged within and supported upon the housing sections, bridging ccntacts ,positioned within the housing sections and actuated by the shaft, and means for operating the shaft.

5. An electric switch comprising a metallic mounting member having an apertured central portion for guiding a pull-chain, and provided with parallel leg portions, each provided with a pair of apertured ears, separate housing sections of insulating material secured to the mounting member by way of the apertured ears, a shaft extending into the housing sections and through the intermediate mounting member, terminals located in and supported upon the housing sections, bridge members mounted upon the shaft and positioned within the housing sections, one of the bridge members being locked to the shaftso as to move therewith, to rotate therewith and acting to close a pair of terminals upon operation of the pull chain, such terminals being opened on release of the chain, while another bridge member is mounted for relative movement with respect to the shaft, actuating mechanism for the switch housed Within the mounting member and comprising an oscillating pawl element having means for anchoring the pull-chain thereon, and a ratchet Wheel mounted on the shaft and adapted to be engaged by the pa'Wl element, the pawl element and the mounting member having cooperating parts adapted to limit the oscillation of the pawl element, and the return spring returning the pavvl element to its original position upon release of the pull-chain after manual actuation thereof, whereby said one bridge member both opens and closes the associated contacts upon each actuation of the shaft, while said other bridge member effects opening and closing of the associated contacts only upon successive actuations of the shaft.

6. A mounting member for a multiple electric switch, comprising a metallic member of U-shape having aligned ears extending from the legs thereof in opposite directions, and apertures in said ears adapted vto receive clamping members for securing separate switch housing sections to opposite sides of the mounting member.

7. A mounting member as set forth in claim 6, including a bearing plate extending from the central portion of the U-structure, said plate being provided with an opening for receiving and supporting the operating shaft of the switch.

8. A mounting member as defined in claim 6, wherein the central portion of the U-structure is provided with an aperture and With a nipple mounted therein adapted to receive and guide a pull chain.

JOHN S. NUNES. 

